Mr. John Durkan:

The focus on emergency accommodation in the Dublin Regional Housing Executive has been ongoing for the past four years. The independent inspectorate was the last piece of the jigsaw following Dublin Fire Brigade doing a series of scheduled inspections. We have not had any failures or negativity at that level to warrant a decision or discussion like that. The other thing is that all our independent inspections are on our website so it is very clear the type of issues that the independent inspector is reporting on.

Finding and sourcing emergency accommodation is an ongoing challenge. It has been slightly intensified in the past two years with the onset of the humanitarian crisis. Our colleagues in IPAS and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth are looking for the same accommodation solutions are we are around the country. That is a reality. The accommodation tender and the support of the Department means that where any suitable property or facility has come on board in recent years, we have acted swiftly and secured it. So far, we are keeping our heads above water but that situation could change in a matter of weeks.